Seminole committee eyes 11 in search for schools chief

SANFORD — The search for a new superintendent of Seminole County schools moved into high gear Tuesday, with a committee of community leaders beginning to whittle down applicants to a handful it will recommend to the School Board.

At Monday's deadline, 26 candidates had applied to replace longtime Superintendent Bill Vogel, who will retire in June. The committee narrowed that to 11 who will be further considered.

Among those making the cut are two last-minute applicants from local school systems. Walt Griffin, director of secondary education for Seminole schools, threw his hat in, as did Scott Howat, chief Tallahassee lobbyist for Orange County schools.

"I do think we have a good pool of candidates," said Matt Davies, a Longwood parent who is chairman of the 26-member committee of education, government, business and community leaders appointed by the School Board.

"The School Board will find a good superintendent."

Sandy Robinson, a former School Board member on the committee, was not as confident. She said the field of candidates seemed weak, probably because of the economy and jitters that professionals may have about changing jobs.

Griffin ranked highest in the initial evaluation and cut, followed by Daniel Snowberger, Henry LaCava and Howat.

Snowberger, a former Winter Springs Elementary principal who is currently a school district administrator in Colorado, was active in starting charter schools in Central Florida a decade ago.

LaCava, former superintendent of Indian River County schools, also applied for the superintendent's post in Orange County but was eliminated Monday.

While the affluent, suburban Seminole and the more urban Orange school districts are seeking to hire new superintendents simultaneously, Seminole School Board members did not expect duplicate applications. But they got several.

Although the board had set certain qualifications, several who did not meet them applied anyway.

"I came up with only seven that met the minimum qualifications for the position," said Steve Brown, a committee member.

Those criteria include a master's degree with a doctorate preferred, a minimum of 10 years experience in administration in a school district with 25,000 or more students, or equivalent government or business experience.

The committee next will do background checks on the 11 candidates, trying to determine how they performed in their old jobs and what people in their communities thought of them.

The committee eventually is expected to settle on eight or 10 candidates to recommend to the School Board March 13. The School Board then will shake that down to perhaps five to bring to Seminole for interviews. The board is expected to choose the new superintendent in late April, with a starting date in May or June.

Other candidates who made the cut are Wayne Alexander, an assistant principal in Connecticut; Lawrence Rudolph, an administrator with Baltimore City schools who also applied for the Orange County job but did not make their cut; Luis Gonzalez, a superintendent in Harrisburg, PA.; Mark Sposato, superintendent of a school district in New York; Mark Porter, a superintendent in Minnesota; Art Stellar, a Massachusetts man who has been superintendent in several states; and Jayne Morgenthal, a college professor from Kentucky.